Weight control is a concern for many. If not sufficiently controlled, obesity may result. The cause of obesity is simple--consuming more calories than are expended as energy. There are arguably many ways to control weight and thus treat obesity, for example, diet, medications, physical activity, surgery, jaw wiring, behavior modification, and self-help organizations. None of these methods is entirely effective and some are dangerous. It is recognized that no simple or generally effective therapy exists. Obesity is a chronic condition resistant to treatment and prone to relapse.
There have been several prior oral appliances, which attempt to aid the wearer in controlling weight. Stubbs, U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,442 describes a combined weight repulsing and cigarette reneging oral appliance. The Stubbs appliance includes a pair of long oval relatively thin longitudinally and transversely curved members connected by an elastic band to which is hung a small button or tab. The appliance is inserted in front of and against the lower teeth inside the lips and cheeks. The small button or tab extends rearwardly between lower incisor teeth to the tongue for frivolous movement to stimulate the flow and swallowing of saliva to satisfy the desire for food or cigarettes. Brown et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,771 describes an oral appliance as an alternative to jaw wiring. The Brown et al. appliance is described in one embodiment as including a guard having meshed openings pivotally mounted to an upper support brace configured to fit against the roof of the user's mouth. The brace may be secured by looping the ends thereof around upper rear teeth. The guard functions as a sieve allowing liquids and finely ground materials to pass therethrough, yet blocking or preventing solid foods having a size larger than the openings from passing therethrough. The Brown et al. appliance is therefore not an appetite suppression device. Neither of these prior devices suppresses appetite by applying pressure to the roof of the mouth and the upper surface of the tongue.
Accordingly, there has been a need for a novel oral appliance device which effectively suppresses appetite. There is also a need for an appetite suppressing oral appliance device that can be worn without substantial discomfort and interference with speech. Additionally, a need exists for a weight control device and method that are safe and can decrease the appetite in a healthy manner. A need also exists for a device and method to help develop self control to modify eating habits without the use of medication, which leads to more likely permanent and healthy weight loss. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.